And again, for anyone with ears to hear it, the truth rang in his voice. Only this time, it was asadtruth.
A lump formed in her throat when she saw his expression had turned haggard. She’d never considered how hard it must’ve been for him to go from being a doctor, a man sworn to heal people, to a Navy SEAL, a man whose very job description was to mete out death and destruction.
“Ya promise you’ll help my friends?” Jace asked shakily.
Doc’s answer was immediate. “I swear it on my father’s grave.”
The relief she felt when Jace dropped his pistol was reflected in Doc’s eyes. “That’s good, man,” Doc told Jace. “That’s the smart move. Therightmove. Now set that heater on the ground and kick it over toward the duffel bags.”
For a big man, Doc could move with astonishing speed. Before Cami could blink, he’d darted down the stairs, pocketed Jace’s pistol, and was marching in her direction.
Her heart swelled at the sight of his determined step. She hoped he would swoop in to kiss her, much like he’d done before going upstairs. Then she realized how silly her desire was when he stopped before he got to her and leveled a look on Jace. “I need your knife.”
Jace blinked and shook his head. “Why?”
“Because I don’t trust you not to get up to mischief if I leave you alone in here while I run to the kitchen and grab something to use to cut loose my friends.”
“Oh.” Jace nodded. “Right.” He reached into his pocket. But before he handed over the knife, he added in a voice that was little more than a whisper, “What’s goin’ to happen to us?”
Sticking with his truth telling, Doc shook his head. “I don’t know, man. But at the very least, you’ll get to live. And where there’s life, there’s hope.”
Jace reluctantly passed Doc the blade.
“Thanks.” Doc nodded. “Now, you’ll make me a lot less jittery if you take yourself over by the front door while I work on freeing my friends.”
Once Jace did as he was asked, Cami braced herself to be cut loose. A second later, her shoulders drooped in dejection when Doc swiftly stalked down the line of chairs and went to work on LT’s ties.
Makes sense,she told herself.Undo the guy who’ll have your back.
Even so, by the time Doc had made his way down the row of captives, cutting through their restraints in quick order, she was nearly vibrating with impatience.
When he finally knelt in front of her, she wanted to throw her arms around him. Unfortunately, her ankle ties were the first to go. Blood surged back into her sandaled feet. Then, he leaned around her to cut her elbows free and the move brought his face close enough to her mouth that she could kiss him.
Four hours ago, she might’ve fought the urge.
Now she didn’t even try.
The skin of his cheek was warm and alive against her lips, his beard stubble deliciously scratchy. “Thank you,” she breathed into his ear. “Thank you for saving us all.” And then, because she couldn’t help herself, but also because he’d come to expect snark from her, she added, “You may not be much to look at, but you have big, clanking brass balls.”
As she’d hoped, he chuckled. “Thatta girl. You’re learning. Perfect timing for a little gallows humor.” But he quickly turned serious. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this in the first place.” He slipped the knife’s cold blade between her wrists and neatly severed the plastic tie. She could instantly feel her fingers again. “I swear, trouble seems to follow this group.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she assured him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tight because she could.
His wide palm was warm against her lower back when he held her close. She took comfort in the steady thud of his heart against her breast.
It was true that, despite the metric ton of bad luck that’d fallen on her head since agreeing to work for Deep Six Salvage—so much that she might consider wearing a hardhat when she was around them—she wouldn’t trade the last few months for anything.
If she hadn’t taken the job, she never would have met Doc. And if she hadn’t met Doc, she never would have fallen in love. And if she hadn’t fallen in love, well…
She’d have been forced to give up her dream of a once-in-a-lifetime romance. Of a family of her own. Of ahomeof her own to replace the one she’d lost when her baby sister died.
A whisper of doubt entered her mind.Just because you love him doesn’t mean he feels the same.
He leaned back, and she tried to see the truth in his eyes. But all she saw was tired humor when he chuckled. “And here I thought you were smart. Only a fool would choose to live through the misadventures we have recently.”
“Eh.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said a person goes to Heaven for the climate but Hell for the company?”
He only shook his head and dug into his pocket to pull out another gun. She’d seen him hand over pistols to LT, Olivia, and Uncle John. And she tried not to freak out when it looked like he was about to arm her too.
